I was standing among the trees, unable to see the forest. You see, I was a twentysomething, but I didn’t realize that being a twentysomething was really a thing.
Then at work we published a book by Christin Taylor (christintaylor.com, @ShipwreckedinLA) called Shipwrecked in L.A., and as I read it, I recognized myself. Christin did lots of research on the developmental stage between your teens and your thirties, and she recognized that at some point in this stage, everyone goes through a shipwreck – a.k.a. a quarter-life crisis. She illustrates her own shipwreck, wherein she left everything she knew here in Indiana to follow her film-making dream in L.A. (except her husband; she did take him!)
In the course of researching to publicize Shipwrecked in L.A., I came across a blog called All Groan Up and found another kindred spirit, Paul Angone (allgroanup.com, @PaulAngone).
Paul’s site displayed and discussed many of the issues Christin brought up in her book and many of the issues I was dealing with in my own life, such as employment in your twenties, deciding what kind of adult you want to be, and finding the kind of people you want to be with. I so identified with what Paul said that when he posted about his upcoming book, 101 Secrets For Your Twenties, I knew I had to read it.
I’m so glad Paul picked me to receive a review copy of the book! So many of the secrets stood out to me:
6: Life will never feel like it’s supposed to.
Right? Besides the fact that the media has taught us all to expect fantasies in our real lives, we’re all different. Why would we expect to our lives and our feelings to happen like anyone else’s?
13: If you grew up going to church, at some point in your 20s you might stop going to church. If you grew up with faith as a central part of your life, at some point in your 20s, faith might move to the outskirts of town next to the trailer park and three-legged squirrel refuge.
We went to a fantastic church when I was little. In high school and college, however, I lapsed. Without someone to make me get up, it was so easy to stay in bed. When my husband and I had our first child, though, I turned that attitude around. I wanted my son to have the same comfort I’d always gotten from church.
21: “The key to success in your 20s is comparing yourself to everyone, every day. Then let that anxiety and fear propel you to work harder, faster, and with more motivation.” – Guy who had a nervous breakdown at 33
I think everyone in the Facebook generation has compared him or herself to that high school classmate with 3 adorable kids when he or she doesn’t even have a significant other. I know I feel like a failure when I see high school classmates – younger than me! – with super cool jobs at jawdropping salaries.
90: Marriage in your 20s can feel like playing “House”.
90 is my ultimate favorite because yes, it totally does. I still feel like my parents are the adults and I am not mature enough to be a parent, let alone an adult.
The best part about 101 Secrets For Your Twenties is relating to Paul’s observations and realizing you’re not going through this crazy stage alone. Most everyone feels the same insecurities I do, apparently, which is really good to know. I recommend reading this to anyone aged 16 to 36!